WPT Los Angeles Poker Classic - 20th Anniversary
Just one month after his $2 million win at the Aussie Millions High Roller event, Phil Ivey has continued his roll with his shrewd play at the WPT LA Classic. Thanks to a late surge, at the conclusion of day 1 he is sitting in 5th place with 116,300 chips. The chip leader, Michael Rocco, ended the day with 156,200 chips. Phil Ivey is on track to repeat his performance in 2008 when he won the LAPC during season 6 of the WPT.
The World Poker Tour’s Los Angeles Classic tournament is held annually at the Commerce Casino. It is their largest event of the year and draws many professional players. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the $10,000 buyin event, and is the 10th year since it became affiliated with the WPT. The LAPC has often had very difficult fields, as evidenced by these well-known past winners: Gus Hansen (2003), Antonio Esfandiari (2004), Michael Mizrachi (2005), and of course, Phil Ivey (2008).
This year’s LAPC began with a field of 523 players, and at the end of the first day 373 remained. The field will increase slightly as Commerce Casino is still running satellites to this event, with registration open until noon tomorrow, when Day 2 officially starts. As of now the prize pool contains just over $5 million, with a first place payout of $1.37 million. Other notable players still in the running include Jonathan Duhamel (98,950 chips), Shaun Deeb and Joe Hachem.